


Fusion

by TirNanOg89



Series: Past Is Prologue [8]
Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Light BDSM, M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-21
Updated: 2015-02-21
Packaged: 2018-03-14 11:28:13
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 22,457
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3408914
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TirNanOg89/pseuds/TirNanOg89
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Phil is an Immortal, he didn’t die for long and gave almost everyone a shock when he came back. Tony has had enough, so have Fury and Steve. Lots of revelations for everyone. More back story for Animi. 2012</p>
            </blockquote>





	Fusion

Fusion.

Set after A:A, IM3 is ignored. 2011

 

Steve and Tony were sat in Fury's office, and though Tony would obviously rather be anywhere but there, he hadn't argued about the debrief for once. They had been on site helping through the aftermath of the recent earthquake for the last three weeks before Fury finally called them all home. They had done anything and everything they could, from scanning through the wreckage for survivors with Tony's advanced scanners in the first week, to shipping emergency supplies and clearing the ground of anything too dangerous or heavy or just plain awkward for the regular rescue crews. The others working with them had quickly gotten used to them, though the first time Hulk had gone into a building, making his own hole in the rubble with a rumbling 'Hulk smash!', after a survivor, several had almost had a heart attack until he came back out moments later cradling a woman and her young daughter in his huge arms. The mother had been badly hurt and pretty out of it, but she had protected her daughter with her own body. The young girl, no more than five, had been giggling at Hulk as he carried them out, poking his muscled wrist with her tiny fingers, making him chuckle.

They had all been run ragged over the three weeks but none had wanted to leave, until it was pointed out that they would soon begin making trouble if they didn’t get some rest. Fury recalled them, bought them home in a Quinjet, sent the rest to medical and Steve and Tony to his office to congratulate and thank them.

"You even managed to keep your people in line for once, mostly." he sent a 'look' at Tony who completely ignored him. Steve decided this was a great sign, Tony hadn't argued or snipped once in over a week now, they were obviously on good terms, now he could at least joke with him. "Keeping Stark in line all the time would require an act of God Sir, and a very wide line." Fury shot him a look laced with humour, it had taken him a while to get used to Fury's humour and learn to read his body language, working with Natasha and Coulson had helped greatly with that! Unfortunately he wasn't looking at Tony as he spoke, or he would have shut up immediately as the slight smirk fell off his face and his eyes narrowed.

"Though at this point I think we'd all die of shock if he actually followed orders, so it may be for the best."

Steve's own humour, though he had never considered it, was very dry and his deadpan delivery left many people not knowing when he was joking. Tony was tired, he ached all over and he had a pounding headache, there was no way he could have deciphered Steve's humour even if he had 'ever' realised the man had a sense of humour, as he was still completely convinced the man had a rebar acting as a humour black hole shoved up his ass, it never occurred to him that he could be joking. Fury seemed, to Tony, to have a matching rebar, and he was convinced the man hated him on principal, so joking never entered his equations, unfortunately. Tony's eyes narrowed further for a moment before his entire face went blank. Fury smirked at Steve's comment before looking back to Tony who was obviously getting pissy, he sighed and shock his head at the lack of camaraderie between the two leads of the Avengers, they really needed to work on this and get the hell over whatever the fuck the problem was before he resorted to banging their heads together, though right now he was seriously considering putting Tony over his knee and smacking some sense into his ass, the man was such a child!

"For you maybe, but if he doesn't start following protocol, attending briefings and returning his paperwork we are going to start having issues Mr Stark."

Tony stared back at him face as blank as Coulson ever was, making him wonder if he was giving the man lessons.

"Start? Your 'protocol' is there for baby Agents that don't know any better and idiots that can't think for themselves. You want an automaton put one of yours into your own armour. Oh, silly me, you still can't make your own! I know everything I need to before I engage in any situation and I refuse to pander to your deforestation obsession. If you don’t like it you can kiss my shinny red…"  
"That's enough Stark! You may not be a soldier but you still fight under Director Fury in this army."  
"This is so far from the 'Army' 'Captain'! you don’t work for the good old U S of A anymore, or did they forget to tell you that? You work for the 'Council'! You're a mercenary just like the rest of us."

He turned his glare on Fury, too tired to think about what he was saying or to care.

"When you dreamed up the Initiative, they were supposed to be autonomous, not automatons. Even you could see the Council couldn’t be trusted with something that big, but you sold out, you let them take over. You bend over like a good little soldier. Well you know what, screw your Initiative! You can shove it up your ass alongside that rebar you got up there and swivel on it! I am done trying with you toy soldiers."

With that Tony stood and stormed out of the office without a backward glance, slamming the door shut behind him. Steve looked from the vibrating door to Fury and back in stunned disbelief.

"And I thought we were getting along so well! What the heck just happened?"  
"If I ever begin to understand that man I will probably certify my self! This has gone too far Captain, if he publicly pulls out of the Initiative I wont officially be able to help him, it will be the Devils own job protecting him."  
"Sir, we have to tell him, all of them. They are intelligent and loyal people, all of them, and I know you still don’t trust him, and yes, we are incendiary off the field, but if you worked with him in the field…"  
"He still ignores half your orders and bends the rest! I wont even get into the protocols."  
"But I still trust him! As do the others. He may not like us but he still throws himself between us and danger. He would still fight to the death for us, kill and die for us, just like the rest of the team would. There is no difference between our loyalty to each other and his to us. My only problem with him in the field is he's too quick to protect the rest of us and forget his own safety. He has and would never use anything he knows or has against us, no matter what."  
"You may be sure of that Captain, but I can't be. If even half a thought of this got to the wrong people we would all be dead or worse. I can only do so much."  
"I know, but stop and consider what 'he' could do? Give him free reign and let him run! He could do so much more than the rest of us put together, if you just tell them!"  
"Which I can't afford to do until I 'know' he is behind us!"  
"Which he never will be until you tell him the truth! You know that as well as I. You 'wrote' half his file, how many people do you think he has ever trusted? And how many deserved it? He knows we've been lying to him, at the very least keeping things from him, he's never going to trust us until we, you, trust him, give him a reason."  
"I can't give him 'that' reason until I 'know' I can trust him, period. And until then I can't tell the others. You know full well you wouldn’t know if it weren't for frankly freakish hearing and memory, there was no reason for Hill and I 'not' to talk around a frozen national icon!"  
"And I've never been so glad to be underestimated."  
"I could've done without it."  
"Really? Cause you need all the help you can get. I know you're glad of someone to share the burden with. Running S.H.I.E.L.D. is hard enough without fighting the Council. They went too far with the Nuke, you know what needs to be done as well as I do. If it weren't for Stark the Avengers and thousands, if not millions, of civilians would be dead, and the Chitauri would have taken over the planet. We both know that."  
"Yes, we do Captain, we know we can count on Iron Man, Stark is a whole 'nother ball game!"  
"You know I don’t agree with that, haven't for a long time, I've fought with him watching my back and saving my ass too many times. And I still don’t have a clue how you can delineate him like that, he's one man, not two! You don’t treat me any different in or out of the uniform, nor any of the others, except Banner, why do you insist on it with him?"  
"Widow wrote his psych eval', she's not been wrong yet."  
"There's always a first time, and people can change. That report was written while he was slowly being killed by his own life support system, he was also interacting with her as Ms Potts P.A. until he found out she was a plant. Not exactly the best way to get an all around view of a man."

Fury glared at him for a while, his mind going in circles, they needed Stark but couldn’t trust him until he proved his self and he couldn’t prove his self until they gave him the chance. They were fucked.

"We have two choices Captain, we carry on as is, limiting damages as much as we can or we find a way to prove Stark's loyalty. The first is a stupid ass option, so it falls to the second, the question is how? I am out of ideas Steve. The point is I don’t trust him."  
"No, the point is, he doesn’t trust us! In the field he generally listens to me, the others follow me because he called on me to lead them, 'he' put me in charge, not me or you or anyone else, him! That's why I lead the Avengers. He doesn’t argue with me, just does what he wants if he thinks I'm wrong. It's far from ideal but it's worked out so far, I generally let him do his own thing and the only one to get hurt by it is him. It's on a personal level that we need his trust, the rest will follow. If we could just stop him acting like a five year old off the field we'd be golden. But how the hell are we supposed to get through to him personally? I thought we were doing well today, then it was like he flipped a switch. I don’t think he was kidding about leaving the Initiative, and we can't do anything more than we are without him! It's been over six months since the battle with Loki and we've got nowhere, without Stark on side and working on this nothing is going to change and we will all eventually crumble beneath the sheer weight of the crap they keep piling on us, we can't go on like this forever, and you know it, something has to give. You have no idea how many times I've wanted to put him over my knee and paddle some sense into him."

Fury's eyebrow raised speculatively. 

"Huh, you might be on to something there Steve."

Steve listened to the 'plan' and didn’t know whether to be more shocked, horrified or just really amused, until Fury got on the phone to Stark's CEO 'Pepper' Potts to clear the mans schedule for the week and make sure he would be in Malibu by the end of the day. At the end of the call Fury looked him in the eye and sighed.

"Now all we have to worry about is JARVIS!"

Steve knew JARVIS from their many battles together, Tony had vaguely explained that he wasn’t a real person, just a really smart computer, he really didn’t know how much of a problem the suits systems could possibly be unless they were expecting to fight Tony in the suit.

************************** 

Tony couldn’t, no DID NOT, believe his luck. After storming out of Fury's office, and basically throwing away the best thing that had ever happened to him however much it hurt, he had holed up in his workshop and told JARVIS to prep for a move to Malibu, he had to get as far from everything as possible and the renovations had recently been finished, bringing the house up to speck with the Tower, now he had the contractors concentrating on the New York mansion and he could put the finishing touches to the Malibu home personally. He told Dummy, You and Butterfingers to get ready for a change of scenery and got JARVIS to organise the courier for them. Each of the Bot's charging stations doubled as a secure shipping case and he always used the same courier as he knew his boys would be safe with them. Within an hour JARVIS told him everything was ready for him, the courier was on the way, groceries were being delivered, the cleaning bots in Malibu were doing a last minute check to make sure everything was pristine and his house keeper had been informed of his imminent arrival.

The house keeper in Malibu had been with the family since he was a child, Mrs Lee had always had a soft spot for Tony and it was completely reciprocated, he adored her. She and Jarvis had been the only bright spots in a dismal childhood and always did what they could to help him. When his parents had died he had asked her, personally, to stay at the mansion until he finished his education and could make a home for his self. She had agreed to wait for him to make his self a home and kissed him on the top of the head as she had when he was small, though he had to bend almost double for her to do so, she was a tiny woman. Not long after that he had bought the promontory in Malibu and her house was built before they even finished the basement of his new home, not because her house was small, but because his was so damn big and complicated, even the generators were his own design. Mrs Lee had married before the move and eventually had children of her own, all schooled at Tony's expense though she had argued, only agreeing when he pointed out that without her he would never have survived his own childhood and this was the very least he could do for her. Once her eldest daughter Jo was old enough to speak her own mind (about four, she was a precocious brat) she informed him she 'would' be taking over from her mother when she was old enough and he had no say in the matter. He had duly informed her that that was an argument she could have with her mother, but she and all her family would always have employment with him if they wanted it, in whatever capacity they were best suited.

Jo hadn't taken over from her mother yet, but she did work with her running his homes. Mr Lee ran the grounds in Malibu, over seeing the rest of his properties, looking after anything his wife didn’t for the estates. Their eldest child Henry had gone on to University and was starting to work his way up the corporate ladder of Stark Industries Legal department. Mathew was just over a year younger than Henry and couldn’t be more different, he was a landscape gardener and had his own business, his first and main client being Tony, who never hesitated to tell everyone how perfect his gardens were and exactly who was responsible for them, then hand out his cards like confetti. Jo came along a few years later followed soon after by the twins Bethany and Chelsea. Tony had never met two people so in sync, he had heard all the stories about twins and the supposed 'psychic' connection they could share but thought it all bullshit until he had seen it in the girls. The twins had both done a hair and beauty course in college but they had been part time, spending most of their time keeping him in as pristine condition as their brother kept his grounds. The baby of the family was Frank Jr who was just starting college. He already had a good head for business, having spent many hours quizzing his parents, siblings and Tony on how. He had a part time position shadowing one of Tony's trusted department heads for work experience as he went through college, his University place all but assured, dependent only on his exam results. Most importantly to Tony the family were all happy and loyal to him, not his name or his money. 

Tony worked on the latest updates to the StarkPhone, which was just enough to keep his mind busy for a few hours while waiting for the courier. Then he got the call from Pepper. She asked how he was (fine), congratulated him on the latest Avengers victory (Thanks), and told him he deserved a holiday. 

"WHAT?"  
"Come on Tony! We both know you've run your self into the ground again and as I'm no longer there to keep an eye on you, the least I can do is keep everyone else off your back for a week. Why don’t you go to Malibu, some time in the sun will do you good, and I do mean in the sun, not in your workshop!"  
"What's the catch?"  
"Tony! Don’t be so paranoid!"  
"Is it paranoia if they are out to get you? I can hear it in your voice Pep, I don’t even have to see your face, and you haven't denied it so I know I'm not going to like it,"  
"Don’t be silly Tony, just have a holiday and get some sun, you could use the vitamin D, decompress for a week. I'll have JARVIS reroute all communications to me."  
"Sure, just remember you still work for me and I have to sign off on your pay check."  
"I know Tony, I know, but you need this,"

Pepper put the phone down on him and he couldn’t help but think that she wasn’t talking about a holiday at the end there, she sounded too guilty and tired and apologetic but also determined, it worried him, she hadn't sounded like that since she had told him she was leaving not a month after the battle with Loki. She had explained calmly and professionally how it wasn’t his fault, they just worked better in a professional capacity than romantically, all he had really heard was that he had failed again, that he wasn’t good enough for her. Once she had left he had locked his self in his workshop and only came out when Fury called the Avengers to assemble once more. Since then he had spent his time working with the Avengers and avoiding the world in his workshop as much as possible, when Pepper wasn’t dragging him out for something to do with SI or the rebuilding efforts. This last meeting with Fury and Rogers had been the last straw though, he had been trying harder than he ever had with anyone to get on with the team. He got on fine with Bruce, had given him his own lab and rooms in his tower, Thor was fine now that he had gotten used to him and Clint had a great sense of humour. Natasha he tolerated and was tolerated in return, but Captain God Damn America would not pry the sanctimonious stick out of his ass! On the battle field he was fine, he listened to all his orders, ran the probabilities and followed those that made sense. When they didn’t he did what was best for the team, never realising that he still didn’t count his self as part of it, on the outside looking in, with but not of them, because he knew he didn’t deserve to be, but he would always help them where he could. His suit could take a lot more than any of the others, except maybe Thor and Bruce, and what was his life compared to theirs? He was just the guy in the armour, Rhodey could take over if need be so he didn’t matter, he never had and never would. 

He finished up with the phone and decided he would find out what the catch was sooner or later so there was no point dwelling on it, he sent the new specs to R&D and cc'd it to Pepper just as the courier arrived, so he sent the boys to their stations and packed them off to Malibu. He locked down the workshop and made his way to the penthouse while giving JARVIS his last minute orders and a message for Bruce. Tony walked to the end of the assembly platform, sighing as the suit formed around him, taking a moment to just allow the peace and security of his armour to settle into his bones and then headed up into the endless blue of the sky. JARVIS automatically scanned the airspace around them and checked in with any air towers they passed to keep him and others safe, so he could just enjoy the freedom of the flight, knowing that however long the flight took it was never long enough. When he finally arrived he went straight to his workshop, he knew he had a lot of organising to do, the contractors could only put things in the room, not where he needed them to be. He soon lost his self in the mindless grunt work of shifting and organising and only realised that many hours must have passed when the courier arrived with his boys. He got them to work helping him but interacting with them kick started his brain and he soon found a flash of inspiration for an upgrade on his suit hitting him. He left the boys to finish under JARVIS supervision while he got started on making his latest idea into reality. Every so often Dummy would nudge him gently and put a smoothie on the bench near his arm, he always smiled and hummed his thanks as he downed the offering. He knew from experience that he could go for days on just these smoothies, even though Pepper always argued it wasn’t healthy. JARVIS and Mrs Lee always made sure the fridge was stocked with healthy fresh ingredients and supplements to keep him going. The fridge was his own design, having two doors and being built into the outer wall of the workshop, Mrs Lee or Jo could fill the fridge safely from outside of the dangerous work area and Dummy could reach everything from inside, it was pretty perfect if he did say so his self.

****************** 

Two days after the fateful meeting Fury decided they had given Tony long enough to calm down, so he and Steve took one of the Quinjet's and headed for the landing pad on the newly renovated Malibu mansion. Steve was speechless on their approach to the sprawling building and shook his head in wonder, Fury's lip twitched in amusement at the reaction, hoping he would get to see the mans face when he got his first look at Stark's New York Mansion, if this impressed him, that would blow his mind. Fury landed and tensed in anticipation as they walked out of the back of the jet to the door into the house. Before they even reached the door JARVIS spoke and Steve jumped, trying to hide his reaction from Fury but knowing he had failed by the mans smirk.

"Good afternoon Director, Captain. I am afraid Sir is unavailable today. Shall I make you an appointment?"

Fury snorted, at Steve's look as much as the A.I.'s words.

"No thank you JARVIS, we have to see him now."  
"I am afraid that wont be possible Director, Sir is very busy."  
"Busy working or busy killin' his dumb-ass self?"  
"Working for the time being Director."  
"Right, then interrupt him before I get Coulson here to do it for me."  
"As you wish Director."  
"He's in the house?"  
"JARVIS is everywhere Tony might be, they are never really separated."  
"Unreal. And it can't be normal, even now, for a computer to have that much attitude! Damn, he certainly takes after Stark!"  
"I will take that as a compliment Captain, and Sir is still busy Director. On a personal note, I let Agent Coulson in because I knew he had a good reason to interrupt Sir, as Sir has resigned from your employ, you do not."  
"Wow, my mom couldn’t have scolded me any better than that!" 

Steve spoke with more awe than Fury was comfortable with.

"Thank you Captain. I'm sorry you have wasted a journey. Next time might I suggest you attempt to make an appointment?"  
"Thank you JARVIS, but we really need to see Mr Stark."  
"And that is one more reason you wont be Captain. If you have yet to realise Sir's depth of loathing for that particular appellation it is little wonder he gave up on the Avengers."  
"Huh? What do you mean?"  
"As I said Captain, little wonder."

Fury sighed and closed his eye, briefly hanging his head as so many things fell into place.

"When you're in the field everyone calls him Iron Man, but as soon as he's out of the suit we all call him Stark. To be honest I thought he just had a problem with authority, and me in particular, and didn’t trust us off a battle field. Banner, Thor and Barton all call him Tony. Banner and Thor aren't military, not on Earth anyway, and Barton's just casual enough he never bothers with protocol. The rest of us all call him Stark like any military personnel would."  
"For cryin' out loud! All this for a name? Why didn’t he just say?"  
"He did."

JARVIS informed him, sounding less than impressed.

"You didn’t listen. After the Battle with Loki, once you had Loki in custody Sir invited all of you to join him in a meal. It is rare enough that Sir eats a meal, to invite others to join him of his own volition is unheard of. You called him Stark and he offered 'It's Tony'. You then not only tried to turn down his offer, you also called him Stark again."

Steve looked stunned, irate and guilty, Fury thought it was an impressive mix to get on one face in one go.

"I was exhausted! We were all hanging on by a thread and were filthy! I got back to HQ, showered and collapsed for eight hours straight after that meal! And I call everyone by their surname unless they're friends!"

Fury chuckled darkly at that shaking his head.

"I think that's kinda his point, and 'Tony' wouldn’t have missed that point any more than JARVIS did. So this whole bullshit six months has been over a name and a misunderstanding! If it weren't so tragic it'd be hilarious! JARVIS, please relay a message for me, word for word. Tony, we would both appreciate a chance to talk to you please."  
"Indeed Director."

Fury was sure he heard a hint of approval in the British voice and allowed his self to sigh and relax, just a little, and settled in to wait for the A.I. to convince Tony.

************************** 

"I said 'no' JARVIS!"  
"And I heard you Sir, however the Director asked me to pass along one last message, and I think you should listen to it."

JARVIS knew Tony well enough to just play the recording and wait for the fallout, already directing several of the cleaner bots to make sure two of the guest rooms were ready to be used. Fury's voice started talking and Tony stilled at hearing his name, then his eyes widened as he heard the man he actually did respect say please, to him. 

"Fine! Whatever, let 'em in then, they got five minutes!"  
"Of course Sir. Will you meet them in the main room or shall I direct them here?"  
"OH HELLNO! They do not come in here for any reason! In fact, total lockdown as soon as I get out the door, you hear me? No sneaking around it, total lockdown!"  
"Of course Sir, as you wish."  
"Knew I never should have let you watch that film."  
"As you say Sir."

JARVIS didn’t waste any time letting the two men in and showing them to the main sitting room where they stood waiting for Tony. Tony frowned when he bounced up the stairs from the workshop to find his room invaded by the military. Okay, he knew they were going to be there, but still. Fury actually had a slight grin on his face but Steve looked constipated. Tony looked at the two of them for a while before huffing.

"Well? What do ya want?"  
"First of all, an explanation. Nobody calls you Stark because they don’t like you, it's military protocol and habit, no slight intended."  
"I know that, why say that when I already know, it's obvious."

Steve stiffened at Tony's brisk tone and off-hand manner. They were trying to apologise and he was throwing it in their faces! Then he actually stopped and looked at Tony. The man was stiff as a board, every muscle tense in anticipation of attack. Tony wasn’t being intentionally offensive, he was defensive! He tried to hold on to that thought, think of the exasperating man like a wounded animal, wild animal, full of teeth and claws to strike out at any perceived threat. Unfortunately his 1940's idea of comforting and Tony's 2012 idea of patronising were a little too similar. 

"Look Tony, we just want to help you out here, ok?"  
"No, not ok! I don’t need nor want your 'help'! I got by just fine before you got thawed Captain."

Steve snorted in derision before he could stop his self, thinking of the current situation with the Council, and immediately regretted it realising Tony would take it personally.

"Really? That's your idea of 'no slight intended'? Really?"  
"Not what he meant Tony."  
"Really? Seemed kinda unambiguous to me. Think you could do better Lab Rat? I may only be a man in a suit, but I made the damn suit! What the hell did you do other than get your ass handed to you on a regular basis?"

That hurt, and Steve flinched, he had never thought he deserved the Serum but he had always done his best to live up to it, he had sacrificed and lost everything, spent 70 years in ice only to be spat out in this insane new version of his world, he was just as alien as Thor! But he didn’t complain and get drunk, not that he could, he got on with it, he did his best and helped others.

"I may not of deserved the Serum, but I damn well live up to it! You play with those suits like a child hording it's toys! You're the one that go so drunk he couldn’t stop his suit being stolen!"  
"Rhodey 'stole' my suit!?! You really believe that crap? Oh right! I just happened to have a suit that fits him perfectly with its own reactor laying around the house, just in case I needed it! Right! Hello! I have one of the monstrosities embedded in my chest! Why the hell would I put one in a suit for myself? And if you think I can't call it back any time I want think again. JARVIS is embedded further in my suits than that stick is up your ass! If either of us think it's being misused it comes home! And if by some freak of chance it can't come home it, and every suit I make, will self destruct to the point there is nothing left but fireworks and a puddle of smouldering materials. No one gets to use my 'toys' without permission!"

Steve wasn’t sure when the conversation had gone so wrong but Tony had a knack for getting under his skin and just making him so mad!

"Considering the level of technology and the threat they pose in the wrong hands, I'll actually sleep better knowing that, but you are such a spoilt brat!"  
"That's rich coming from you! I can't believe the level of sanctimonious, hypocritical, holier-than-thou bullshit that comes out of your mouth! You are so full of it I feel the urge to order toilet paper every time you speak! When I'm not reaching for the Duct Tape to shut you up!"  
"That's enough!"  
"Oh don’t you believe it! This is my territory 'Captain', you don’t get to order me around here!"

Steve nor Fury could believe the amount of disrespect and loathing Tony could put into a word that was generally an honorific. 

"You never listen to orders anywhere! You constantly put the team at risk because you wont listen to orders!"  
"Don’t you dare!"

Tony's voice was so quiet Steve and Fury both had to stop for a moment to make sure they had heard him right. When he continued he was deathly serious and obviously livid, his body tensed for a fight though his face was a blank mask.

"I have 'never' put any one of you at risk. I listen to 'every' order you give and follow most of them. I see more than you do 'Captain', I'm your 'eyes in the sky' but you've 'never once' used that. When I ignore you its because you're wrong! But you never asked! You just rip into me after for not 'listening' and doing your job for you! Captain my ass!"

Steve and Tony were practically chest to chest by then and Fury wanted to intervene, get back to a civil conversation, but he had to let Steve deal with this, he was the one that needed Tony's respect and obedience in the field. 

"That's enough."

Steve's voice was just as quiet and deadly as Tony's and Fury almost wished he had popcorn.

"Still don’t get it, do you Captain? I'm not nearly done."  
"Yes you are. If you have a problem with my leadership you speak to me, civilly, you don’t sulk and ignore it and hope I fix it. I can't fix it if I don’t know what's broke. If you have a problem with me personally you suck it up and get the hell over it already. You do not make unilateral decisions on the field because people get hurt, and maybe no one else has got hurt yet but I know you sure as hell have, and you may not realise it, and I'm starting to see this is the real problem here, but 'you' are part of this team too. When I say you put the 'team' in danger, I mean 'you'! You constantly put yourself in harms way when there are other ways to get the job done, ways that minimise the threat to 'everyone'! We are all equally part of this team, and equally important, you are no less than anyone else."  
"Pretty lies Captain, shame your actions don’t back them up. You throw me in the sky and leave me hanging more often than not while you lead your 'team', you don’t give a shit what happens to me just as long as your team are ok. Neither of you has the balls to kick me off the team or admit I was only called in the first place cause you were desperate. So, I've done it for you, nothing new there, congratulations, Howard would be proud! You've managed to continue his work for him."

Tony knew, in a very small quiet place in his mind, that his mouth was running off without his permission again. He had got about five hours sleep in the three weeks they had been running the rescue mission, always too busy to stop until he collapsed for an hour or so during a planning session or a hasty meal, and in the seventy hours or so since his last meeting with these two men he hadn't slept at all, too jacked up to even think about sleep. He was going to pay for that now in the shit that came out of his mouth. He would, without a doubt, mean every word of it, honesty didn’t just come with alcohol, sleep deprivation would do it too, but he would never consciously say any of it anywhere near these two men in particular because they would only use it against him. They could already hurt him so much, and had so deeply, he should know better than to give them more ammo. He knew, in that very small quiet place in his mind, that he should run now, hard and fast, before he said any more, but he was too exhausted, both physically and mentally, to run any more. He had been running since he could remember and it had only gotten worse since Afghanistan, and he was just too tired, he had had enough.

"Thought I finally found it with Pepper but fucked that up, she left like everyone always does, but at least I had the Avengers, I was finally doing something right, something good, but no! can't have 'Stark' having anything good, that wont do at all! Can't have him sullying the Avengers good name, damn Loki for leaving you with no choice, had to give me a taste, just make sure I knew what I was loosing, then dummy goes and pulls a dumb ass stunt with a nuke and can't even do that right, has to fall back out of the damn hole, dummy can't even stay dead, hero has to go and save him. Can't dump him then, bad PR, Pep'd throw a fit worse than the party, gotta keep him around, wont be long till he fucks up, can't survive every dumb ass trick, so you'd think, still can't do it right! Fuck everything up, everything turns to shit, not to worry, done it for you now, done your duty, you tried, no bad PR now, we're all so terribly sad to see him go, what'd you expect from a terminal fuck up? To bad, so sad, full honours at the funeral, too bad he left, might have survived with back-up."

By the time Tony got a few sentences into his rant Steve and Fury both knew he wasn’t talking to them any longer, if he even remembered they were still there, and they were too stunned to say anything. By the time he admitted to trying to commit suicide, more than once, they were looking at each other in horror. How the hell had they all missed this? Yes, everyone knew Tony Stark was a consummate actor, but to hide this much, so well, for so long? Fury thought back to Widow's report and Steve's comment, there really was a first time for everything. 'Self-destructive tendencies' was a world class under-estimation. She was so far from the mark it was painful, but if she couldn’t see it what hope did the rest of them have.

"Good riddance to bad rubbish as the old bastard would say! Lets all raise a glass to Howard fucking Stark! A proper 'Fuck You Very Much' for a proper fucking bastard!"

Steve was lost. He had fought beside the Howling Commando's, lead them through hell and back, through battles and nightmares and death and PTSD and homesickness and god alone knew what else, but he had never met anyone with such deep seated self-loathing and non-existent self esteem, suicidal tendencies and outrageous authority issues. He didn’t have a clue what to do or how to help him, so he looked to Fury. Fury's first thought was the psych ward but he dismissed the thought before it even fully formed. He honestly didn’t think they had a hope in hell of coping with the genius let alone helping him, and he'd probably find a way to kill his self or leave within an hour of being committed, no, that wasn’t an option. While Tony continued to rant, pouring his heart and soul out to them, though he probably didn’t realise it, he sent a text to Pepper telling her Tony would be away on Avenger business for the foreseeable future and any necessary contact should be routed through his office. She almost immediately replied and told him to take care of Tony, which made him wonder how much she knew or suspected. He put it from his mind and sent another text to Hill, letting her know the three of them were out of commission and she was in charge until further notice. She replied with a simple 'Understood'. Then he received another text. 'Thank you Director. I have no means to aid Sir any more than I already do, maybe you can. I am watching.' To be completely honest, it was creepy as fuck being threatened by the A.I., and that was definitely a threat, but he also appreciated his permission, things would be a hell of a lot easier without fighting the damn thing. Steve was obviously out of his depth, mouth opening and closing intermittently like a landed fish, and in any other circumstances that would be funny as fuck, but now it just told him it was down to him to step up and fix this. They really were screwed! Tony had stopped squaring up to Steve at some point and started pacing the room instead.

"Fuck you very much Howard, you were right all along, you should have drowned me at birth, saved the world the trouble, still can't do a fucking thing right!" 

Fury stalked over to Tony and grabbed hold of his shoulders roughly, getting his attention and pulling him in close and still and spoke very quietly, watching Tony shudder as he practically growled at him.

"Enough! Never done a fucking thing right? You are fucked in the head Boy, and I'm beginning to see why. I know what condition SI was in when Howard's 'reign' ended, I know Stane only managed to drag it out of the gutter on the back of YOUR genius, shit you made up at twelve and Howard refused to look at cause you were already better than him by then became the first StarkPhone and StarkPad. Shit you doodled on napkins from college and uni have kept thousands of US military personnel safe for decades, not the weapons they made you design, but the armour, the comms that we still use, the holo-displays we use on the Hellicarrier you also designed with the OS you wrote and don’t think I don’t know about the back doors you left there for JARVIS, a fully autonomous, 'learning', A.I. made by who? At eighteen years old, already graduated from MIT when most people your age were out getting drunk and throwing up in other peoples pot plants, you surpassed the worlds leading technological and scientific minds! Then you made most of the US's weaponry for far too long before getting almost killed and having half your chest ripped out and replaced, in a cave! Where you went ahead and survived three months of torture by the head of the worst terrorist faction in the middle east in a god damn CAVE! And not only miniaturised Howard's arc reactor, which thousands have tried and failed to do including the 'great' man his self, but also built a suit of armour from scraps, right under their noses, and got the hell out of there alive, blowing up their biggest weapons cache while you were at it, then came home and improved the damn suit before going back and destroying more of them and the weapons they were supplied by the man you looked to as a father for as long as you can remember and stopping the bastard from killin you, Pepper and thousands of others in the process. The only thing you did 'wrong' in all that was trust a bastard who had the world, including me, fooled. If anyone else had done half this shit you'd be kneeling at their feet worshiping their genius, why the hell can't you give your self a little of that credit?"

Tony stood staring at him wide eyed and a little awed for a long time before he blinked.

"Well, when you put it like that."

And then he passed out.

Fury managed to hold him up by his shoulders long enough for Steve to get there and carry him to one of the sofas, laying him out as comfortably as he could, then they stood there looking at each other for a long while.

"Now what the hell do we do?"  
"I already told Pepper he's on Avengers business until further notice and put Hill in charge till I get back, we have as long as we need barring a call to assemble. If that happens I'm sure I'll cope till you get back."  
"As long as you can keep him here!"  
"Yeah, there's that. We'll think of something. In the mean time, JARVIS, how long is it since he last slept?"  
"That would depend on you definition of sleep Director."

Fury sighed heartily and dropped his head, shaking it before lifting it again.

"Ok, when is the last time he shut his eyes and actually hit REM sleep?"  
"Four weeks ago."  
"Holy crap! How the hell does he survive like that?"  
"Practice, Captain."  
"Right, has he closed his eyes at all since he finished the last mission with the Avengers?"  
"No."  
"Has he eaten at least?"  
"He has consumed three of Dummy's protein smoothies."  
"Give me some reference here JARVIS, how many of these smoothies would I expect to consume in the same time period?"

Fury knew how to word his questions to make sure he got an 'honest' response. 

"To keep to the same general caloric intake you currently have, a minimum of fourteen."  
"Fuck!"  
"Indeed Director, we do our best, but we are limited. I have suggested to Sir he make a personal 'manservant' but he refuses on the grounds that it would 'interfere' too much. Apparently the four of us 'mother' him more than enough."  
"Has he always been like this?"  
"No Captain, he used to be much worse. At least since Afghanistan his self-destructive tendencies are limited to sleep deprivation, drinking, starving his self and taking on more than he can cope with in battle, I console myself with the improvements."

Steve and Fury just looked at each other in stunned silence for a long time, this was an improvement? Fury finally shook the shock off and sighed again.

"If he's crashing from that high he's gonna be out till tomorrow at least, we should get him in a bed."  
"Though I appreciate the sentiment Director, you are working on false assumptions. Sir will not rest in a bed, not alone at least. He never has since he bought me on line. Sir only rests properly if he feels safe, which is rare indeed and, to my knowledge, has only occurred once outside of the workshop since Afghanistan."  
"Who was with him JARVIS? Can we get them here?"  
"You already are Captain. The only time Sir has rested easily was when you stayed with him in SHIELD medical three months ago."  
"But I was only there a few hours, he walked out not long after I left for a shower!"  
"Exactly."  
"How the hell does a computer understand him better than I know myself?"  
"Tony Stark made it."

Steve actually huffed an almost laugh at that, shaking his head in wonder at the miracle of engineering that was JARVIS. 

"Right, lets just go with the brains here, JARVIS, what do you suggest we do?"  
"So nice of you to ask Captain, it is always nice to be recognised. I would recommend you leave Sir where he is, it is much more comfortable than his usual sleeping perches. I also recommend you do not leave. Beyond that, what you do when he wakes, I can only respectfully suggest you do not hurt him, I would be most displeased, and the latest refurbishment has left me with the means to show it. Sir has little belief in his self, the belief of others will make the world of difference to him. The kitchen is through the left hand door, it is fully stocked, if you need anything please don’t hesitate to ask gentlemen."  
"Why do I get the feeling we're being tested, and failure comes at a high price?"  
"Because you're not an idiot? JARVIS has made himself clear, I'm just wondering what the hell Tony put in this crazy ass house with the latest refurbishment to allow him to 'show' his displeasure?"  
"I don’t think I want to know! Kitchen sounds good though, we can make something we can reheat later once Tony wakes up. I'm not so sure he'll sleep till tomorrow, and he'll need to eat when he wakes up."  
"Then I hope to hell you can cook, cause you're shit out of luck if you're waiting for me to do it!"  
"Really?"  
"Really. Never needed nor wanted to, the Service always provided food, and there's take out."  
"Mom taught me, it was one of the few things I could manage growing up, it doesn’t take a lot of strength or stamina."  
"Well, it'll save on take out. Go see what you can rustle up, I'll keep an eye on sleeping beauty."

Steve grinned at him wryly and made his way to the kitchen, quickly finding it a chef's dream. It was full of everything he could possibly want or need and he made quick work of putting together a hearty beef stew as well as a chicken broth for Tony when he woke. There would be more than enough stew for them all for a couple of meals, even with how much he ate. He left both pots cooking and went back to the main room to find Tony stirring on the sofa and Fury sitting near his head, running his fingers lightly thorough Tony's hair, trying to settle him. He walked over to the sofa and knelt by Fury, resting a hand on Tony's abdomen, more for his own comfort than any thought of it actually helping, but Tony almost immediately sighed and settled deeper into the cushions, before turning on his side and burying his face in Fury's thigh. Steve chuckled lightly at the sight.

"Like I said, a five year old! How can he be so damned irritating and yet so adorable? Most of the time I want to shake him or put him over my knee, but like this, I just wanna hug him!"  
"He's an oxymoron. He will never make sense until you expect him to contradict himself."  
"Yeah, you might be right there."

They fell into a comfortable silence, each of them lost in their own thoughts about Tony and the situation, about how they could help him. They sat there for four hours, watching Tony, quietly talking or just looking out the windows watching the light fade and thinking, before Tony started stirring again. They both automatically started touching him, Fury running his fingers through his hair and Steve rubbing circles on his abdomen, trying to settle him back into sleep but he didn’t seem distressed, he was just waking up.

********************** 

Normally Tony woke like a light switch, one moment he was asleep, the next he was wide awake. That was his first sign that something was wrong, he could feel his mind coming back on line, the second was that someone, or someone's', were touching him. His instincts kicked into overdrive before his mind had a chance, he smashed his elbow into the person by his head and lashed out hard with both legs at the other and was over the back of the sofa, back against a wall before his eyes even opened. His heart hammered in his chest painfully and he gasped in shallow panicked breathes.

"JARVIS!"  
"Sir it is 21 hundred hours on Wednesday the fifth of June, it is a balmy 23 degrees and Director Fury and Captain Rogers are the only others humans within the grounds. All is well Sir."

The A.I. spoke calmly as Tony finally actually took in what he was seeing, his mind automatically accepting everything JARVIS had said as true. Fury was rubbing at his chest while Steve was slowly getting up from the floor, watching his every move as if facing a wild animal and not wanting to spook it again. He watched as the two men glanced at each other quickly before looking back to him, Fury eventually speaking.

"Should'a seen that comin'."

Tony could not handle this shit, everything was piling up on his head and weighing him down and he was still exhausted! 

"Get the FUCK OUT OF MY HOUSE! JARVIS! Get them out NOW!"  
"Sir, I fear that would not be the best course of action. If…"  
"NO! NOT YOU! NEVER YOU JARVIS! You can't do that to me, not you, not YOU!"  
"They will be gone if you 'need' it Sir! You know they will! But you are reacting out of fear, not thinking! If you stop and think, then tell me to remove them I will do so gladly! You know I can and will! But that is not what you need right now!"  
"Don’t you take that tone with me JARVIS! I did not teach you to be that snarky!"  
"Actually, you did. Now, I believe Captain Rogers has prepared a healthy and appetising soup specifically for you in the kitchen, you may wish to thank him and then eat it."  
"Right, Cap. Thank then eat. Kitchen. Right."

Steve looked at Fury, confused and worried, he had never heard Tony this docile or compliant, he also seemed spaced out or possibly high now that the shock of his awakening had worn off. Fury shock his head to him and then spoke to Tony.

"Tony? Do you want some soup?"  
"Yeah, thanks Cap, nice. Soup."  
"Do you think he has any idea what he's saying or doing right now?"  
"No way in hell! He's damn near sleepwalking!"  
"Right, we feed him and hope he goes back to sleep then." 

At that point they both realised that a sleeping Tony was headed to the kitchen for food that was still on the stove! This was not a good mix. They rushed to the kitchen to find Tony very carefully ladling soup into a bowl he was holding in a towel, before taking it to the table and getting his self a spoon. Neither could believe that he had managed it at all let alone so carefully and cleanly. 

"Wow, guess he's not as asleep as we thought."  
"No, I think he's just more capable of working while asleep than we thought!"  
"Shouldn’t be surprised I suppose, he's always been more than I gave him credit for."  
"Yeah, but you gave him more credit than the rest of us put together Steve. I'm starting to think I should have listened to you."  
"Sure you should! I'm not just a pretty face!"

Steve smiled at him as he spoke, not expecting the assessing look on Fury's face.

"Not just, no."  
"Nick?"  
"Not the time Steve, but we will get back to that I think."  
"Yeah, I think we probably should, asap."

They continued watching each other speculatively until they noticed the almost silent slurping noises coming from the table.

"No way! He should have burnt his mouth out on that, it was still simmering!"  
"Yup, he's full of surprises aint he?"  
"No kidding. Tony, do you want anything to go with that?"

Tony glanced up at him between spoonfuls, still looking confused.

"Cap?"

Steve sighed at the nickname but Fury actually elbowed him in the side, frowning at him.

"You have noticed that the only people he 'doesn’t' give nicknames to are those he really can't stand? He even does it to me on his good days, no one else would get away with calling me 'sweet cheeks'!"  
"God he didn’t!"  
"Hell yeah, I did! He let me play with the comm.'s!"  
"We needed upgrades, you're the best."  
"Should'a asked me in the first place."

Tony muttered but Steve couldn't miss the way he ducked his head and his cheeks tinged pink at the compliment. This man was completely out of character for the Tony Stark he knew and worked with, it was taking a lot to get his head around the differences, and to not snap every time he made a casually cutting remark. Neither of them had expected him to join the conversation, but now they had him talking they would make the most of it. 

"A couple of the pilots have been making noises about the latest Quinjet's. The council outsourced the plans, didn’t tell me squat till the new jets flew in."  
"Bastards! Seriously, can I just shut the bastards down? Please say yes?! Please? It's all set up already, just didn’t want a piss ya off, never had a boss before, it's too weird, gotta deal with two now! Don’t like it. Can I shut 'em down now?"  
"Tony, what do you mean 'set up already'?"

Nick's face had gone blank and his body still as he considered the possible ramifications of Tony playing around with the Council.

"It's set up, what's to mean? What's it usually mean? It's ready, set, just waitin' for a go! Have been for months."  
"How many months?"  
"Five and a half? They sent a nuke at my home! And I didn’t do it, just kinda planned it, set the dead man switch, not much."  
"Not much? How are you taking them down Tony? I can 'not' stress enough how dangerous this is! You can't just play with these people! Cutting off a few servers not gonna do anything but get you dead!"  
"Chill Sweet Cheeks! I'm Tony Stark! Genius, 'Billionaire', philanthropist remember? You don’t stay at the top in this city from the R&D or the boardroom, it's all about the back rooms, the whispers and deals. I've been watching these bastards for ever, I got every skeleton in their respective closets, with hard proof, high court proof. I got my people in there as soon as they started getting too big for their britches. Hell, even Howard was watching the last generation of their little game, one of the few things we ever agreed on. I figured you had it under control until Loki popped up, at least he showed us that much. I just finalised the details."  
"You are kiddin me? I 'told' you!"  
"Told him what? This is great soup Cap, couldn’t have done better."  
"Thanks."

The change in subject derailed Steve for a moment, before he shook his head and raised an eyebrow to Nick.

"Yeah, yeah. I stand by what I said, I couldn’t be sure, you were though."  
"About what? Share with the class boys! To tired for cryptic."  
"Don’t worry about it Tony, Steve was right, I'll explain latter, once you've had more sleep, though I don’t think it'll take much after what you just told us."  
"AH, the dicks, don’t blame ya for not trusting me with it, I wouldn’t either. Managed to fuck up most things in my life, why would you think business was any different? Everyone thinks Pepper always did everything, nobody wondered who taught the P.A. how to be C.E.O. though."

Tony didn’t sound angry, or even upset, just resigned, and that made Steve angry and up set for him, and a little ashamed at himself. Tony was apparently awake enough to read that.

"Hey, no worries. Nobody thinks about it, it's just one of those universally accepted facts. I always needed Pepper for the personal shit, not the business, though it was easier once she got me to meetings on time, less ruffled feathers and shit. Still don’t know my social security number.

Steve shook his head, bewildered, how could Tony be so accepting of such huge things when he blew a gasket at the trivial shit in his life so often? Like Nick had said, he had to start expecting the man to contradict his self.

"So can I?"  
"We'll talk about it once you've slept more. I want details and you need sleep."  
"No prob. JARVIS, can you give Nick the Council file please? He can read it while I go play."  
"Of course Sir."  
"No! You are not going to lock your self in the workshop until you pass out. You can go to bed and sleep!"  
"That an invite Cap?"

Tony's cheeky grin caught him off balance.

"If it'll get you to sleep, yes!"  
"Whoa! I don’t think Sweet Cheeks approves!"

Steve looked at Nicks face and cringed, he had not long ago told the man he was interested and now he was practically propositioning Tony in front of him! As Tony would probably say, traditionally: not cool. Tony laughed and stood up, grabbing both their hands and dragging them behind him.

"Don’t worry babe, you can join us! Just don’t read too loud after!"

Tony was still laughing as he dragged them both into his bedroom and kicked the door shut behind him. They were both too stunned to even think about protesting as he pushed them both on the bed then crawled in between them. He snuggled down comfortably, Steve plastered to his back after he had grabbed his arm and pulled it over him like a blanket. Nick lay in a stiff line across the bed, one of Tony's arms and legs thrown across him as he tried to figure out what the hell was going on.

"Tony!"

He growled low in his throat as his brain finally kicked back into gear. Tony shuddered and Nick couldn’t miss the way he ground his hardening cock against his hip, slowly, like he was almost asleep already.

"Shh, sleep now, play later Tiger."

Steve chuckled making the bed shake gently. 

"Come on, you may be comfy but we aren't! At least get in the bed properly, and take off your jeans."  
"Wanna get me naked just gotta ask hon."

Steve just chuckled again before reclaiming his arm. He pulled Tony onto his back then stood to remove both their jeans and his jacket and shoes. Fury watched them for a moment before shedding his own jacket, shoes and jeans and pulling the cover back. Between the two of them they got the mostly asleep Tony into the middle of the bed and crawled in beside him. Again Tony latched on to Nick like a limpet, twining their legs together and resting his head over his heart. Then he sighed deeply as Steve just lay behind him quietly, before reaching back and grabbing his arm, pulling it, and Steve with it, over his body, using him as his own personal blanket. Steve chuckled again and Tony sighed contentedly before rubbing his face on Nicks shirt over his heart for a moment then settling. 

"He certainly is more affectionate when he's dead on his feet."  
"I think he's just more honest. No filters, not even the minimal ones he usually has. He's always touching, things or people, he just holds back most of the time."  
"Yeah, I wonder why? Howard gave him a great example, didn’t he? I can't believe my friend turned into that!"  
"People change Steve, I used to work with him, that's how I know so much about the company. Stark went down hill fast once he realised he wasn’t the top dog any more. It was obvious to those close to him, though he kept it from the public, he was jealous. He couldn’t handle not being the best any more, it being his own kid just made it worse. So he started resenting Tony, then he hated him. He and Maria died before Howard had a chance to grow up and see his son for the man he was becoming. The sad thing is, if he had lived a few years longer I think he would have seen the man, instead of his son, and realised just how much they had in common, they would have been great friends. They would have been unbeatable together, with Tony's innovation and Howard's experience, they could have run the universe let alone the world, and with the Stark charm they would have had everyone asking them to 'please take over and teach us how to be like you'!"  
"That just makes it all so much worse. The loss of that potential is almost as bad as the loss of Tony's childhood, almost. There was no excuse for it though, nothing could possibly make up for telling your child you think they should have been drowned at birth!"  
"No, you wouldn’t think so, but I knew Howard, and I know Tony, and more importantly I know their type. If he had survived and taken it back, Tony would have forgotten it. It's not what was said that kills him inside, it's that he never got to prove him wrong. You heard him earlier, it really doesn't bother him that I didn’t trust him, all he cares about is setting it straight and fixing the problem. He never had that chance with Howard. All we can do is make sure he does with us."  
"Right, so I just forget that my second has been fucked over all his life?"  
"Whoa! Breath there Steve! This has shit to do with your 'second', you've had seconds before, I know your file better than you do. This is nothing to do with combat, and everything to do with emotional ties, which the military generally frown on."  
"DADT was repealed September 20, 2011 by Obama, Panetta and Mullen."  
"Yeah, it was, but when did you ever know the military to let the rules stop them? Each unit has always run in its own way, to its own standards, and the military top dogs don’t always agree with the political ones. Sec Def and the JCS Admiral Mullen agreed with Obama that it should have been got rid of long ago, doesn’t mean all the feet on the ground agree. Also, I was talking about a relationship between a commander and his 2IC, not DADT."  
"You don’t work with me in the field, what difference does it make?"  
"Are you really..? right, I meant him, not me."

Fury's blank face and incredulous tone made Steve snap his eyes up and gape at him.

"What?"  
"It's plain enough Steve, you don’t get that riled about or by anyone else."  
"No but, you!?!"  
"Can't have both Captain."  
"Why not?"

Steve could have slapped his self as soon as he said it, he knew that was just greedy and not possible, it was just wishful thinking slipping out. Nick looked at him almost sadly.

"Yeah, why not?"

The sleepy voice piped up from between them.

"You two are too loud, tell me to sleep then chatter away for hours, waking a guy up. Make your minds up. Or better yet, just shut up and fuck me already. Hum, yeah, fuck me or shut up, that works, get some sleep either way."

Tony hadn't moved or even bothered opening his eyes and Steve and Nick shared a bewildered grin, that seemed to be the default state for dealing with Tony like this, or most of the time really.

"Hush you, sleep, you don’t have the energy to open your eyes let alone anything else."  
"Always got energy for you Sweet Cheeks, never refused you."

Nick thought about that for a moment and realised that with all the bitching and whining and arguing and hissy fits he had never really noticed that Tony really hadn't ever refused him.

"You sneaky bastard!"  
"Couldn’t let you know, too much power over me. Sleep or fuck? Please?"  
"Sleep, sneak, we'll be quieter."

There was no real response to that, just Tony snuggling in even closer again, rubbing his face over Nicks heart like a cat. Nick couldn’t help smiling when he saw the awed shock on Steve's face at how Tony had played them and how he was taking it.

"Later."

Was all he said, and Tony mewled when he spoke, digging his fingers into Nicks side roughly. Nick growled at him and Tony practically purred, thrusting his cock hard into his hip once before settling down once more and drifting off. About ten minutes later when he thought it would be safe Steve whispered.

"Do you think he's part cat?"  
"Could be, you met his father, I wouldn’t put it past him to try 'improving on nature', even with his own kid. We might as well sleep as we're here, we could both use it."

They said nothing else after that, but Steve moved the arm wrapped around Tony so his palm was laid flat against Nicks side, gently squeezing once before he closed his eyes and fell asleep. Nick grinned in the dark and fell asleep right after him, military training had some perks after all, and sleeping on command was just one of them.

Nick awoke some time later with a cock thrusting slowly against his thigh. He groaned and turned his head to see Steve looking far from comfortable as his own cock was obviously being rubbed just as nicely as Tony's ass moved over his crotch. That made him grin, and he didn’t even try to hide it.

"He's even a mutt in his sleep!"

He whispered, still grinning. Steve almost choked. 

"This is the first time since I have been here that Sir has slept in a bed for more than an hour in the presence of another human without medical intervention, and that was only ever with Ms Potts."  
"Shu' up J'V'S! no tellin',"   
"Hush Tony, none of us would survive without JARVIS."  
"Why thank you Captain! It is nice to be recognised occasionally."

Tony giggled into Nicks chest, a full on child like giggle!

"God you're adorable!"  
"Only when tired Captain, or just woken up. I'm sure between your self and the Director you can find other times though."  
"JARVIS!!!"  
"Captain?"  
"You can't..! my god, you really do take after him, I can't believe you said that!"  
"Apologies Captain."  
"Yeah, cause that was sincere. And call me Steve, please."  
"As you wish Steve."  
"God no! Not that again! I should ban you from the movie database!"  
"As you wish Sir, though I have already watched every film ever made so far."   
"Sneaky bitch."  
"Wonder where he gets that from?"  
"Nick, I'm hurt!"  
"You will be if you keep that up."  
"Kinky! Promises, promises!"  
"Tony!"

Steve was stunned again but Nick just grinned and threw the covers off, pulling Tony full across his lap and landing a firm slap to his rear. He chuckled darkly when Tony just wriggled into a more comfortable position and arched like a cat, purring his delight. Steve shook his head again, this was completely beyond him, but he was more than happy to watch and learn.

"Definitely part cat."  
"JARVIS told me years ago, don’t care. More!"  
"Pushy bottom."  
"Pushy everything if you don’t get on with it, I'm sure I can wind Cap up enough to really let loose!"  
"Tony! You could get hurt!"

Steve realised he had run straight into that one, eyes open and arms wide. Tony giggled delightedly until Nick slapped his ass again, making him gasp and push his now leaking cock harder into his leg.

"That's the idea, yeah!"

Tony managed to gasp out between slaps, panting and squirming almost desperately on Nicks lap.

"Please! Please, please, please!"  
"Shh babe, relax,"

Nick obviously knew what he was doing, at least to some degree, as Tony was soon writhing on his lap and moaning almost continually. Steve couldn’t help watching them both, though he was bright red in embarrassment, he couldn’t deny he was enjoying it almost as much as Tony was. Nicks hand rose and fell in a perfect rhythm, dragging Tony to the edge and keeping him there, and Steve didn’t even realise he was moving until he was petting Tony. He ran his hand up and down Tony's calf, squeezing gently at the top of each stroke, receiving a high whine from Tony every time he did. Nick looked from Tony to Steve when he heard that first whine, a smile crossing his face as he knew he had them both now, what more could a man ask for than Captain America and Iron Man in his bed, under his hands. He knew he could only leave Tony like this for so long before he got desperate, he was just waiting for that sign. Then he got it. Tony's writhing went from lazy pleasure to verging on desperate, and he gave one last slap to what had to be a beautifully red ass by now, harder than any so far and growled.

"Cum!"

Tony howled! His body went stiff and Nick could feel his cock pulsing against his thigh before Tony shuddered for a long time in after shocks and finally fell limp, mewling beautifully as Nick rubbed his ass gently, letting him know he was still there. He finally looked up from Tony at Steve, the poor guy didn’t know what to do with his self, he was gripping Tony's calf and staring at where he was laid out like a sacrifice over Nicks lap. Nick grinned.

"You gonna cum for me Steve? What do you need boy?"

Steve just shook his head, he didn’t have a clue, it felt like his brains had taken a holiday when his blood rushed south and was refusing to work, he just didn’t know.

"Come here boy!"

Steve whimpered, even before the serum he had always had an Alpha personality, just nothing to back it up with, he had never had a reaction like this to any form of domineering, quite the opposite actually, he normally fought it quite viciously. This was different though, there was no hint of bullying, or even force really, just Nick telling him what to do. He could follow orders, he was trained for that. He practically jumped forward, laying across Tony and making sure he didn’t rest his weight on him. Nick wrapped a hand around the back of his neck as soon as he was in reach and pulled him in for a fast, hot as hell kiss, taking over his mouth and claiming his territory so well Steve almost expected to find a flag left in there somewhere. Nicks other hand was still soothing Tony's ass in gentle circles, and Tony was starting to fidget again, rubbing his now cum soaked pants against Nicks thigh. Nick hummed in happy surprise as he felt him getting hard again, against all probability, and squeezed his ass tightly, making him whimper again. Steve was also whimpering, he was hard and desperate and just needed to cum, now! Nick grinned into his kiss and pulled back just far enough to bite his bottom lip, drawing another ragged moan from him. Then he got a beautiful idea and tapped Tony's ass, pulling away from Steve.

"Come on."  
"Already did."

That earned Tony a slap that made him writhe gorgeously, but was otherwise ignored.

"Get up babe, too many clothes."

Tony was fine with that plan, and though Steve was still bright red, and not just from embarrassment any more, he was quick enough to join in too. Tony ripped his t-shirt off fast enough but then Nick stopped him as he went for his pants.

"No, they can stay, you look good with your cum in your shorts, soon I'm gonna make you walk around all day with just your cum filled shorts and a red ass, remind you what we can do for you all day long."

Tony stared at him in awe and whimpered before he threw his self on to him, latching on to his mouth like he never intended to let go. Nick kissed him breathless, until the need for oxygen was paramount then pulled back panting. 

"You gonna suck Steve down like a good boy?"

Tony's eyes blew wide and he choked, couldn’t answer, just nodded like a demented man, obviously enthusiastic. Steve choked too, eyes wide in shock at the idea, just the thought of Tony putting his mouth there! He had heard of it of course, but it was not something he had ever done, it was too personal for men trying to push back the fear in the night. That was the point he realised he really hadn't thought this through. He was in way over his head and in serious danger of drowning. Nick saw the emotions flying across his face and shook his head, this was going to be spectacular, but not easy, just like the rest of their relationship was and would always be, and damn he was looking forward to it!

"Steve! Breath boy!"

They were all naked by then except for Tony's cum soaked silk pants, and damn if that wasn’t a turn on in its self, so Nick pulled Steve with him back down on the bed. He sat with his back against the head board, and pulled Steve to sit between his spread thighs, it wasn’t an easy fit, he had to spread a lot further than usual, but he made it work. He pulled him in tight and rubbed his still hard cock against his back, drawing moans from both of them. Tony was stood by the bed, eyes wide and glued to them, especially Steve's cock, pinnacle of human perfection indeed. Nick smiled at Tony chuckling, the sound drawing his attention up from the magnificent cock, pleading with his eyes and looking so hopeful. 

"Come on, don’t leave him waiting. This looks to be his first so make it good, make him wanna come back for more."

Steve whimpered and his hips thrust up in anticipation, Nick chuckled again and used his hand to pin those glorious thighs to the bed, using his ankles to pin him further down. Steve stilled momentarily and shifted his arms, moving to grasp Nicks thighs and settled once he had proven to his self he could still move, he wasn’t completely pinned. All three men had a very understandable and healthy dislike of being confined, though Tony was more terrified then just 'dislike', so none of them would ever consider trying to pin any of the others completely. Tony didn’t waste any more time, he dove on the bed with an appreciable show of glee but didn’t grab straight for his cock as Steve thought he would. Tony squirmed in between Steve's legs and rubbed his cheek against his thigh for a moment, before switching to the other and so slowly moving up. He rubbed his face all around Steve's crotch, giving tiny little kitten licks all around his cock but never touching. Steve thought he could probably cum from that alone, and probably would soon if he kept it up. Tony evidently saw this too, and he wasn’t that merciful. He pulled his head back to Steve's thighs and ran his hands up to his cock and balls, one fist going tight around the base of his cock making Steve yelp but stopping any chance of him cumming, the other cupping his balls, almost like he was weighing them. Steve whimpered and moaned in turn as the licks started again, only this time on the head of his cock, lapping up his pre-cum with obvious enjoyment. He slowly moved his way down the shaft, licking him filthily all over, until he was glistening with a mix of Tony's saliva and his own pre-cum, then he took the head between his lips and sucked gently. Steve yelped again and tried to buck up into that tight inferno, only Nick's tight hold keeping him down, mostly. Tony tortured him for what felt like forever before he finally slid his lips down his shaft, toying with it with his tongue, until Steve felt the tight pressure of the back of his throat and yelped again, it was becoming a bit of a habit, but not necessarily a bad one. Tony pulled back to the tip and slowly lowered again, until Steve was near dripping with saliva and pre-cum, moaning his enjoyment and obviously loving every minute of it. Nick let go of one of Steve's thighs to pet Tony's head as he continued the torment, dragging every sound he could out of Steve.

"Come on Kit, stop playing with your food."

Tony tried to giggle and Steve shuddered at the vibrations, then Tony got serious, and Steve realised just how much he had been playing with him. Within moments Tony pulled his hand away from the base of his cock and slammed his head down until his lips bottomed out and he couldn’t go any further, then he swallowed, with what felt like half Steve's cock down his throat and Nick rubbing from the outside where he could feel the cock distending it. Steve felt his cock slamming into a soft hot wall and thought he might die, then Tony kept going, his throat parting for then closing tightly around his cock, Nicks fingers providing points of extra pressure, and then tightening as he swallowed, Steve yelled and blacked out as he came, gushing straight down Tony's throat. Tony pulled back fast to get a good mouthful of the cum then surged up the bed, pausing in confusion for a moment when he realised Steve was out cold, then decided not to waste it and pushed a bit further, offering his prize to Nick. Nick opened his mouth hungrily, grabbing Tony's neck tight and ramming his tongue in to find every last trace once he had swallowed the first offering. He ravaged Tony's mouth as Tony helplessly let him, hanging almost limp in his grip, thrusting his still encased and soaked cock madly against Steve's abs, whining deep in his throat. Nick was finally satisfied he had gleaned everything he could from Tony's mouth and relented just a little. Nick finally pulled back and chewed on Tony's bottom lip for a long moment as they both got their breath back. Steve shifted as he came back to his senses, groaning and shifting loose limbed and sated. Tony pulled back to look at him and smiled before gently taking his mouth in a soft kiss. It didn’t last long as Steve gathered his blown mind (pun totally intended) and took over the kiss, this he knew, and he was good at it. Tony moaned and writhed as Steve took full possession of his mouth, not as rough as Nick but just as thorough. Nick moaned as he watched them, thrusting his hips up for more friction, getting Steve's full attention. Steve gently pushed Tony back, almost changing his mind as the man whimpered pitifully, and shushed him. He manoeuvred Tony on to the bed next to them and then turned over, bracing his self over Nick carefully.

"What do you want?"  
"Both of you! But I don’t have your stamina. So I'm gonna pound Kit loose then watch you fuck him, preferably unconscious."

Both the other men shuddered and whined at the thought, Tony wriggling impatiently, already pulling at Nicks arm.

"So impatient Kit."  
"Call me that out of bed and I'll claw your eyes out!"

Tony growled but Nick just laughed as Steve shifted off him so he could roll on top of Tony, grabbing his thighs and dragging them apart. 

"Hush Kit, you only want the good kinda pain I can give you, don’t push."  
"I live to push!"  
"Not any more Kit, only so far. You'll know where the limit is when you find it, I suggest you don’t."

Nick growled out the last and Tony mewled again, writhing hard and pushing his still damp silk covered cock as high as he could, but Nick pulled back, denying him the friction he so desperately needed. 

"Behave Kit, and I'll give you what you need. Let us take care of you, let it all go, let us take it."

Tony was whining and writhing in earnest now, desperate and hungry, trying to wrap his thighs around Nick to pull him down but Nick still held him down, not letting him. Tony was lost in his mind by then, he wasn’t thinking, running purely on instinct again and when he fully grasped that he couldn’t move his legs he forgot why he was trying in the first place and panicked. Nick pulled back as soon as he realised what was happening and Tony curled up and threw his self off the bed, backing into a corner and curling as tight as he could, covering his head with his arms.

"It is 04:30 on Thursday 6th of June, and a balmy 65 degrees. Captain Rogers and Director Fury are the only other humans within the grounds. All is well Sir."

Nick had never been so glad to hear the calm and steady English tones of JARVIS as Tony started breathing slower and his body lost some of the painful tension. He slowly slid off the bed and settled next to Tony, sliding down the wall to settle with a heavy sigh. 

"I am so sorry Tony, I am so, so sorry."

Tony whined and leant against him warily for a moment before letting his arms drop and throwing his self at the other man, wrapping his arms almost chokingly tight around his neck and burying his face in his shoulder, straddling his waist, heaving great sobs as the damn finally burst and everything came out, a painful keening ripping from his chest as he heaved for breath around the noise and the wracking sobs. Steve was with them in moments, carefully murmuring to let Tony know he was there before he touched him, then running his hand gently up and down his back. Nick kept repeating how sorry he was, tears escaping from his own eyes not long before Steve joined in, all three of them weeping for lost chances and wasted potential. It took an age for Tony to cry his self out, letting loose a life's worth of pain and fear and the terror of being captured and tortured. Nick and Steve wept with him and for him, and for their selves, for all the years of shutting everything inside and pushing it down, never giving in to the pain, ignoring it and moving on, like good soldiers. Only good soldiers were human too. Eventually Tony cried his self to sleep and the other two slowly pulled their selves together and carefully got him back in the bed, wrapping their selves together as Tony seemed to prefer, hoping to comfort him even in sleep.

"Thank you JARVIS."

Nicks voice was rough from crying but sincere.

"Of course Director."  
"Nick, I'm not working."  
"I should think not Nick. This was inevitable, it is probably best it happened so soon. If Sir had had the chance to recover his sleep he would have fought you all the harder, emotionally speaking. It is better and easier for all concerned this way."  
"Thanks, don’t stop me feeling like shit though."  
"Again, I should think not. Had I thought you felt any different we would be having a very different discussion, while you ran for your life."  
"Ya know, I love that you protect Tony so well, but that don’t get no less fucking creepy!"  
"Good. That lets me know you are taking this, and my self, seriously. It gives me great hope for your sense of self preservation."  
"Still creepy!"  
"Indeed."

The room fell silent after that, until Steve let go of the breath he hadn't realised he had been holding.

"Shit!"  
"Uh huh."  
"Good to know he's well protected though."  
"Uh huh."  
"Still creeped out?"  
"Uh huh."  
"Probably a good thing, and it makes me feel better knowing I'm not the only one."

Nick managed a dry chuckle at that and patted Steve's arm.

"Get some sleep, I think we'll need it."

Steve couldn’t help agreeing, and shut down. Nick lay staring at the ceiling for a long time, going over what he had done wrong and how to avoid it in future, once he was satisfied it wouldn’t happen again he closed his eyes and allowed sleep to take him.

********************* 

Tony woke groggy again, once more going stiff as he heard and felt others around him, surrounding him.

"It is 12:38 on Thursday 6th of June, and a balmy 80 degrees. Captain Rogers and Director Fury are the only other humans within the grounds. All is well Sir."

Tony sighed and relaxed as he felt the other two relax around him, he must have woken them when he woke, or JARVIS. He let his mind and body calm as he reviewed the previous night. From a distance and in the cold light of day, not that it was light as JARVIS hadn't cleared the windows yet, it seemed so stupid, he had been in for the fucking of his life and had ruined it.

"Stop right now!"

Nick growled and he couldn’t help shuddering and thrusting his hips forward, it was practically Pavlovian already. Steve chuckled lightly from behind him, rubbing his half hard cock against his ass accidentally, making them both moan.

"Mutts, the pair of you, and thank god for that!"

Tony chuckled, still subdued but better, just as intended. 

"Can't help being a whore for you."

Steve gasped at the word in distaste but Nick chuckled.

"And only for us. I don’t share well either, you will not stray."

It wasn’t a question, it was a very firm command.

"Wanna show me why I shouldn’t?"  
"Already did, I'm here, and I aint going nowhere. You need food before anything else, and a shower."  
"We can shower now?"  
"After food, I know how you work, and even I don’t have the will to turn you down naked and dripping."  
"God! You can make me drip any way you want! Whenever you want! Please!"  
"Be good and eat, then we make you drip, then we can shower."

Steve was watching them in stunned lust, hard as rock and almost willing to ignore food but he knew Nick was right, that Tony needed it, so he took a deep breath and let it out slowly, calming his racing heart and willing his cock down, just for a while, until he realised he was trying to bargain with his own body and blushed, even though nobody else realised what he had been doing. Tony looked at Steve once he realised that even the famous 'puppy eyes' weren't going to shift Nick and grinned. 

"What ya thinking there soldier? With a face like that it must have been good, share?"

Tony practically purred and Steve blushed harder, trying to stammer a reply but getting nowhere. Nick took pity on him and swatted Tony's ass, getting a moan instead of the hoped for yelp.

"Leave him be, we'll soon debauch that out of him, make the most of it while it lasts. Now up, we need food. There's a stew out there waiting for us if everyone's good with that?"

Two rumbling stomachs answered him and he chuckled, shaking his head in exasperation. He got up and only pulled his jeans on, soon copied and followed into the kitchen by the other two. He wasted no time dishing up three big bowls of the stew they had forgotten to turn off the night before, grateful it hadn't suffered from the neglect. It didn’t take them long to finish the meal and Steve rinsed their bowls and stacked them in the dishwasher before sitting back down. Tony's grin of anticipation slipped off his face as he took in the steady looks from his two, lovers? Did he get to call them that?

"So, we're lovers now, do I get to call you that? Can I do that?"  
"Yes, if you want to."  
"Right, cause what else is there? Partners is too formal, too business, and boyfriends is just juvenile, childish, who would want that? What adult would use it? Not a smart one, nope."  
"Tony!"

Steve interrupted.

"You can call it whatever you like. I would call you my boyfriends, or lovers, it doesn’t matter, it's just a word."  
"Right, boyfriends."

He spoke with a quiet but content sigh and Steve knew he had read that one right at least. He let out his own sigh as Nick shook his head at the both of them.

"You need more sleep Tony! You are way too adorable to be fully awake. We can talk tomorrow, shower."

Tony was off like a shot, stripping his jeans again as he bolted surprisingly gracefully into the master en suit, quickly followed by his laughing boyfriends, or lovers, it didn’t matter which! The shower was running at his preferred temperature when he got there and he jumped right in, soaking his self under the 360 degree 'rainfall' shower heads. The others quickly joined him and he sighed happily as he attached his self to Nick, just hanging around his neck and burying his head in the crook of his neck. Steve grabbed the shower gel and lathered up his hands before carefully cleaning everything he could reach of both men, then he washed his front and Nick gently detached Tony from his neck and pushed him into Steve's waiting arms. He took a while to tease them both while washing his self down then turned them, ignoring Tony's pitiful whimper and washed Steve's back, paying attention to all the important places, making Steve groan and thrust against Tony when he very thoroughly cleaned his ass and between his legs, just double checking Steve had done a good enough job on his crotch before pulling away and turning them again. Tony was panting by the time Nick got back to him, and went straight to his knees to clean Tony from the feet up, stopping near the tops of his thighs, much to Tony's vocal disgust. Nick stood up and started again from the top, carefully cleaning Tony's face and down over his shoulders, down his chest and abdomen and finally getting to the prize, or so Tony thought. He spent a while making sure Tony was thoroughly clean but didn’t linger, instead taking Tony's shoulders and pulling him forward a little before turning him and pushing him back into Steve's arms.

"Pick him up, hold him tight."

Nick growled his orders, making them both shudder again, Tony hopeful and Steve just hoping he could keep his feet long enough for Nick to do whatever he had planned. He picked Tony up easily and Tony wrapped his arms and legs around him tightly, leaning in to steal a kiss as soon as he was settled. Nick chuckled as he got more shower gel, he knew it wasn’t perfect but it would do for a starter. He covered his finger and ran it up and down the stretched wide crease of Tony's ass. Tony moaned and wriggled in Steve's arms, trying to push back on the finger and forward into Steve at the same time without much success. Nick grinned and lightly tapped his ass growling at him to stay still as Steve tried to distract him with his mouth, and did a damn good job of it too! Nick slowly started pushing his finger in, just a little at a time, until Tony got a good grip on Steve and pushed back, fully engulfing the finger in one go and moaning lewdly at his success. Nick slapped his ass a little harder knowing it was no deterrent, and moved his finger, thrusting until it moved freely, then adding another. 

Tony was definitely a cock whore, and proud of it! The sooner he had something substantial buried in his ass the happier he would be, and he wasn’t quiet about encouraging Nick to hurry toward that conclusion. Nick chuckled at his antics but hurried anyway, soon having three fingers thrusting inside and Tony begging for more. Just to be sure, and not because he was loving hearing Tony beg, he added a forth finger before he was satisfied he was stretched enough, then he pulled down the flexible showerhead and changed its flow until it was a hard massaging jet, and aimed it at Tony's loose hole. He didn’t 'just' do it to make Tony howl, though that was a worthy goal in its self, he was carefully rinsing off any traces of the shower gel, he had plans that required it for later. Tony wasn’t the only one wound up by the preparation by a long shot, both Nick and Steve were panting by the time he was finished with the shower head, though Tony was howling and writhing like a mad thing trying to get more. Nick put the shower head back and turned the whole thing off, grabbing a towel and very quickly wiping down Steve and a shuddering Tony, before barely touching his self with it and then leading Steve, still carrying Tony, to the bed. Steve laid Tony down and stepped back, disentangling his self carefully, shushing the man and calming him just slightly. Nick didn’t hesitate to grab the lube from the bedside table where he'd left it earlier and put it to use, thrusting three fingers straight in much to Tony's delighted whine. He grinned as he watched his lover twist and writhe on his fingers, knowing it would be even better once he got his cock inside him. To that end he grabbed a condom only to have it torn out of his hand and thrown away.

"No!"  
"I was going to ask."  
"Good, now move, I'm dying here!"

He laughed at that, and didn’t stop until he started pushing his cock past the guardian muscle, only to be enveloped in tight moist heat and groaning along with Tony. Tony wrapped his legs around his waist and hauled him down as he thrust his own hips up hard and fast, yelling his pleasure and throwing his head back on the pillow, throwing his arms out to grab the sheet in a death grip, writhing and thrashing his head as Nick moved, pulling out slowly and then slamming back in hard, the slick slap of skin the only sound other than three sets of struggling lungs until Tony howled again. He shouldn’t have expected anything else really, but Tony was vocal, and loud, it was satisfying in a base way, having such obvious proof he was pleasing his lover, having no confusion about what made him happy. And what really made him happy was hard and fast. Nick might not have the stamina of Captain America, or the apparently insatiable Tony, but he was far from old or infirm, and he knew how to pound an ass into the mattress, especially one this fine. He set a hard, fast but sustainable rhythm and went to town like he hadn't for too many years. It was a long time since he had had such an enthusiastic lover, and even longer since the last one that he could really let loose on, or in. He revelled in it for what seemed like hours, though it couldn’t have been, until he felt his orgasm start to creep up his spine. He had had Tony on the edge for long enough, so he gave up his rhythm and slammed into Tony with everything he had, making him howl and cum, pounding through the glorious contractions of Tony's sated body around him until he came with a growl, making Tony shudder harder through his after shocks and his cock twitch valiantly as he finally stilled inside him. 

Nick looked over to Steve, feeling a little like they had abandoned him, but from the look on his face he felt anything but. He had laid his self out on the far side of the bed so he had a good view and lazily played with his cock while watching them. Nick grinned at him.

"Enjoying the show?"  
"Very much so, but I think it's my turn now."  
"Yeah, I think we'd all appreciate that."

Tony just whined and wriggled his hips beneath Nick. Nick chuckled and pushed his hips down, though he was already soft, then pulled back. Steve, despite everyone treating him like some kind of immortal virgin, was not, far from it in fact. He had spent months behind enemy lines with the Howling Commando's, a small group of 'very' close companions, without a female or officer in sight. They all took what comfort they could get. He considered tormenting Tony, making him wait, but looking at the man with his legs spread wide, writhing and moaning piteously, puffy red hole seeping cum and winking at him, begging to be filled, he couldn’t wait. He rolled his self on to his hands and knees and crawled over to Tony while Nick moved off the bed and pulled a chair over, getting his self lined up for the best view. He leant over Tony and touched his face gently, smiling when Tony immediately leant into it, nuzzling and licking, trying to get his fingers into his mouth.

"Not this time Kit, we'll find you something good to suck on next time, this time I want to hear you, every little whimper."

And whimper he did, even before he touched him any further, he was also thrusting his hips up and trying to roll in to Steve to get more contact. Steve chuckled darkly at the still desperate man and wondered how he ever managed to satisfy his self before them. He wasn’t being cocky, but he had just watched Nick fuck him hard, he had never seen anyone take a fucking like that and still be so needy, so ready to go again. And Tony was ready to go again, his cock was already hardening again and his moans and whimpers were getting more desperate. Steve couldn’t hold back any longer, he knew he didn’t need any more preparation so he slid in between his wide spread legs and pushed in, in one steady stroke until he bottomed out, stretching him just that much further. Tony howled. He was made for this, for being fucked, pounded and soiled and filled with cum, his asshole stretched and wrecked and obliterated by cock. Steve wondered just how much he could take and decided that he would certainly find out, and soon. The tight heat surrounding his cock, after the show he had just watched, would have had a lesser man cumming in moments, but he was the pinnacle of human perfection, and a stubborn bastard too, so he was going to make this last. He started moving slowly, though Tony whined and tried to slam his hips up like he had with Nick, but it didn’t work. He moved once and Steve gripped his hip tight, forcing him back down on the bed and not letting go, just squeezing harder every time he tried to move. Steve was not going to waste this opportunity, just in case it was his only one, he didn’t think it would be but he wasn’t taking any chances. He lowered his self down so his entire body was pinning Tony and slowly shifted his hips back and forth, just enough to stimulate them both and draw this out as long as possible. He leant forward and licked at Tony's lips in warning before thrusting his tongue in his mouth at the same deep and steady rhythm as his cock. Steve knew he could keep this up for hours, literally, he'd done it before, but he was conscious that Tony's hole had already seen rough use today and hours really wouldn’t do him any good, Tony was also getting desperate again, his mewling and whining getting higher in pitch and his contained writhing was driving them both on. He pushed up on his elbows and took Tony's face between his hands carefully but firmly, staring down at his almost tortured face.

"You gonna cum for me Tony? How much can we wring out of you Kit? Eh? You will cum again, but how many times before you pass out? Can I fuck you unconscious? Can I fuck you awake again?"

Tony went mental. Steve didn’t have a clue how, as wrung out as he seemed, but he managed to flip them over and sit over his hips without dislodging his cock, then started pounding his ass up and down on him, whining continually, building up to a wail of pleasure as he slammed his own ass on Steve's perfect cock. Steve let him for a while, out of shock and then appreciation, then decided this was his game and flipped them back, pulling almost all the way out of Tony before slamming back in, pushing Tony up the bed and smacking his head against the headboard. He didn’t have the sense to feel guilty about that, and Tony didn’t seem to mind all that much, but he did wrap his arms under Tony's back and get a firm grip on his shoulders, holding him in place, before he did it again. Then he decided to hell with drawing it out and slammed his lovers ass, making him howl with every thrust. Tony had obviously let go of any and all inhibitions he may have once had a long time ago, he didn’t try and hold anything back or cover anything up, he was a glorious lover, so responsive and honest in all his reactions. It bought out the best and the worst in Steve, it made him want to coddle the man in his arms, protect him from everything and every one, but it also made him think of everything they could do to Tony, to get more of those reactions, how could they get a higher whine? A louder howl? Could they overload his senses so much as to leave him silent and insensate? How could they do that? Could they break this beautiful creature and rebuild him, make him perfect? There were so many things he wanted to do, so many terrible, depraved things, it scared him, and at the same time drove his arousal unbelievably higher. Tony screamed and convulsed around and beneath him as he came, the contractions vice like around his cock, dragging him over the edge into oblivion. They lay for a long while blissed out on the aftershocks, shuddering in the wake of their orgasms, Tony's cum hot and sticky between them, before Nick lay a warm hand on his back and he looked up.

"Roll off him Babe, let me in."

For a while Steve didn’t really know why he had to move, he did anyway, and it didn’t take long to figure it out. Nick leaned over Tony and kissed him soundly on the lips then flipped him over onto his front. Tony whined his disapproval and buried his face in the sheet, whining again and shuddering as Nick pushed his knees up under him, leaving Tony with his ass high on display. Nick pushed his knees apart and knelt between them before cupping his ass cheeks and spreading them as far as he could, taking a long moment to admire the raw puffy hole, leaking cum and still winking in invitation. Nick accepted that invitation as Steve watched with a gasp, this he had never thought of! Nick's tongue swiped up Tony's crack, right over his hole and as far up as he could, Tony squeaked. Tony was too fucked out to complain, even if he hadn't loved it, and barely had the energy to wriggle his ass, blatantly begging for more, but he managed it, pleading with his body when his brain was blank and couldn’t find the words. He needn't have bothered, Nick had no intention of stopping, whether he wanted him to or not, this was something he revelled in and rarely got the chance to indulge, and with Tony this fucked out he certainly didn’t have the energy to stop him. By Tony's reaction it wasn’t unwelcome anyway, the horny little bastard was still trying to encourage him, even after being fucked hard, twice, one of them Captain fucking Perfect! How the man wasn’t comatose by now he didn’t know. He didn’t dwell on it though, he had much better things to think about, like how to get all of the cum out of Tony's delectable ass. 

He took his time lapping over and around the puffy abused hole before dipping his tongue just inside the red rim. Tony was loose enough for him to push his tongue in without difficulty, so he sealed his lips around the hole and thrust in hard and fast, wriggling his tongue and curling it so he could trap some of the cum slopping inside and drag it out, moaning at the flavours of the three of them combined. He took his time dragging and sucking every morsel he could from Tony's ass his cock trying valiantly to fill again, but knowing it wasn’t going to happen, just enjoying the simple pleasure of eating his willing lovers ass. When he was finally done his jaw was aching pleasantly and he looked over to Steve to find the man panting, wide eyes black with lust. As soon as he pulled back Steve was on him, ravaging his mouth, claiming him and searching for every last trace of flavour from the three of them. Tony was whining again, he had managed to turn his self around far enough to see them and his cock was once again making its self known, as was Steve's. Nick shook his head at the pair of them, wondering if he was too old to try and keep up with them, then decided he didn’t care, if they fucked him into an early grave it would be a hell of a way to go! While Tony's cock was ready and raring to go, the rest of him obviously wasn't and Nick took pity on him, pushing Steve away for a moment.

"Get Kit sat at the top of the bed."

Steve was looking a little desperate his self but he did as he was asked, getting a squeak out of Tony as he grabbed him under the arms, twisted him flat on his back and dragged him up the bed to sit on the pillows as he couldn’t be bothered to move them. Once Tony was in position Nick pushed Steve down and told him to suck, the growl making both of the others shudder, and Steve wasted no time showing Tony just how well he could copy him. Steve growled his self when Nick pushed his knees apart and he realised the man had laid out on his back beneath him. Nick pulled his hips down so he could get his mouth around his cock and went to town, licking, sucking and scraping his teeth down Steve's cock, waiting until he heard Tony howl his climax before he pulled out all the stops and dragged Steve to his own. Steve flopped over on to his side with a gusty sigh of repletion and Nick crawled up the bed to the other side of Tony, laying down on his back before pulling Tony down and over him. Steve waited a moment for Tony to get comfortable wrapped around Nick before he plastered his self to his back, wrapping his arm around both of the others and sighing again. Tony snuggled in to the heat of Nick and sighed as Steve covered his back, snuffled a few times and mewled as he rubbed his face over Nicks sweat damp chest then fell asleep, the others soon following him.

************************* 

Tony woke up almost eight hours later, which was probably the longest he had slept since he was three, still tightly held between his two lovers. He knew they were both awake by their breathing and wondered how long they had lain there in silence, letting him sleep. If they had waited this long he was sure they could wait a little longer, so he let his mind wander over the last few days. From what he understood the Council was a problem that he would soon be allowed to fix, the real issues were personal and a lot harder to sort out. He got that Steve hadn't been purposefully slighting him, and that Nick didn’t think he was a fraud, a waste of air or any number of other things he had previously assumed the man considered him. He got that they both wanted him, a lot apparently, and weren't afraid to give him what he needed. He also got that they were planning on sticking around for a while, probably till they got bored. What he didn’t get, was why? Other than his admittedly awesome body, which to be fair was a far from exclusive place before Afghanistan, what were they getting out of it? His mind ran a million and one scenarios, what would happen next, what they would ask for, what they expected of him, because whatever they might say, everyone wanted something from him. 

"You can stop that thought right there! I don’t know what you've got going on in there right now but I know I don’t like it. You just got stiff as a board, and not in a good way, so stop and calm down. We're not going anywhere."

Tony shuddered as Steve's breath ghosted over the back of his neck, he wasn’t sure why, the other man was plastered to him like a limpet so his breath really shouldn’t have had any affect. But it still did. Then the chest under his head rumbled and a hand started carding through his hair soothingly. Nick spoke with a slightly pained chuckle.

"He's trying to figure out the angle."  
"What angle?"  
"Exactly."  
"What?"  
"Our angle."  
"Huh? Would you use full sentences please?"

That felt way too much like a set up to Tony. He levered his self up and out from between the two of them and glared down at them, trying very hard to ignore anything below the neck because he knew he was a whore and would basically do anything Fury told him to but he could at least try to protect his self.

"What the fuck do you want?"

Steve looked genuinely gob smacked. 

"Uh, a full sentence? An explanation? I have no idea what is going on here except that you are getting angrier by the minute and Nick is looking lost."

Tony shot his eyes to Nick and caught a hint of said lost expression just before the other mans face shut down. Damn, he was way too good at that, note to self, never play poker with Nick. Nick looked back at him for a while then looked over to Steve.

"He is looking for our angle of approach, our motives, and the ulterior ones, where we're coming from and what we expect, what the con is, and mostly how we intend to rip him to shreds once we get what we want, eh Tony? I'm the head of the most secret intelligence agency in the world, run by a council of grade A twats who want nothing less than absolute power. You run the Avengers, set up by me, and I dragged him in despite my expert telling me he wasn’t suitable. The Widow did his psych eval and on paper he is so far from anything you want around you, you've read the history, nothing else Steve. The Council has access to everything I do, I couldn’t let him in once that file was submitted. Can't blame the woman for doing her job, can't even blame her for being fooled. I got away with pulling him in because of the nature of the emergency, and after that stunt with the nuke they couldn’t argue with keeping him on. But the fact remains, in the eyes of the Council Tony Stark is dangerous and uncontrollable, they will do everything they can to get rid of him, permanently. If they can get hold of the Iron Man tech, bonus, if not, they have a group of more 'controllable' hero's they think they can use. What they still haven't realised, and probably never will, is that the group hinges around Tony as much as you. They also don’t look at the tech Tony's made for the team, and SHIELD by default, they just see a honking great neon sign saying 'no weapons' and write him off as useless. To them, it's all weapons, they don’t think about the defensive tech, how many lives have been saved by the shit we get from Tony. So Tony knows the council will do anything to get rid of or get him under control. What better way to control him than with the two men above him in the chain of command?"  
"We don’t control Tony!"  
"We know that, they don’t. And as far as Tony knows, that's exactly why we came here. Sent by them to bring him in line."  
"What the hell? Did anyone read my service record? I told the General where we were going and how we were going to do things, not the other way around! The only commander I ever followed was my mother! The General was always complaining that between Howard and I we'd kill him early! The reason I was given a field command was because I completely ignored all the rules and regulations, as a goddamn dancing monkey, and got Howard to drop me over enemy territory! I went in to find Bucky, 'cause they were just going to leave him there, so I went in, on my own, and got him and a few hundred others out, found the locations of the Skull's other bases, I mean who leaves a map with that kinda info pinned on the wall for everyone to see? We took out the installation, freed the captives and captured plenty of tech for Howard and his boys to play with. We lost a few of our boys but I got Bucky back, and we didn’t leave a damn one of the bastards alive. Only the Skull and Zola walked away from that charnel house, and we got them too, and destroyed every Hydra base built. I don’t follow orders, I give them."

Tony was looking at him in awe and Nick was smirking at them both.

"That's not what the reports say!"  
"No it is not, gotta admit, I always had my suspicions. The General was a well known player, and nothing about that campaign was his style, or anything like it. They managed to keep that damn quiet though, and if I didn’t know, the Council don’t either. But the point is, nobody has ever done anything for Tony Stark without at least one ulterior motive, be it money, bragging rights or a lot worse, so he wants to know what we're getting out of this, other than damn good sex."  
"But, there is nothing else! We didn’t even come here thinking about sex, well, not with him anyway, we came to get him back on the team where we could protect him from the Council."  
"I am right here you know!"  
"We know, couldn’t miss you if we tried, and you and I know that Steve, the problem is convincing Tony."  
"Well yeah! The Director of SHIELD and Captain America invade my home just to 'protect' me? Then just shag my brains out for fun, on a whim? Really?"  
"Yes, really!"  
"And what do you mean 'with him anyway'?"

Steve blushed quite adorably and ducked his head, refusing to answer, so Nick took pity on him.

"There may have been consideration of a sexual relationship before you came into the equation, but this works better if you're up for it. I'm good, but no way I can keep up with that stamina!"  
"Nick!"

Steve's outraged cry had Tony doubled up laughing and Nick smirking like the cat that got the cream and the canary, which he pretty much had.

"Oh my god Sweetcheeks! You really DO have a sense of humour!"  
"Not funny Tony! The point is, we came here because if you leave the Avengers officially we can't protect you against the Council as efficiently. There was no ulterior motive! And for all Nick's 'jokes' I think the three of us fit well, it's not something I would have imagined let alone considered but it does work, and it feels right. I would like to see where this could go."

Tony stared at Steve for a while before flicking his eyes to Nick. Nick shrugged.

"What he said. We've been talking about the Council since Loki went home. Apparently Steve can still hear and remember when he's unconscious. As far as Hill and I knew he was still deep frozen, but he heard us talking, and came to me about it once the situation was dealt with. Shocked the shit out of me, to be honest, anyone else would have had an 'accident' soon after but being him, we started working together on the problem. Not that we got far. Steve has been nagging me since to read all the Avengers into the situation and get it fixed once and for all, but I couldn’t tell the rest until I told you. No, you aren't the only one with trust issues. Like I told Steve, I always trusted Iron Man in battle, as a civilian it's a different matter. You have always been a solo player, you do NOT play well with others, we all know this. And I couldn’t afford to loose you to the Council if you went off half cocked and screwed the pooch. You have always been spontaneous, and I knew you were hiding a lot, that even Widow couldn’t see, but I didn’t know how much or what, because you hide it too damn well when you're in control of your self. If I'd known how easy you are when exhausted I'd have cornered you straight after the battle with Loki."  
"Hey! I resemble that remark!"  
"Tony, what we're saying, is we want you, as a friend and partner. Everything else is a bonus. But we really don’t want you to leave the Avengers, and if you can help with the Council, that would be great for all our sakes."  
"Told you, could have taken them out months ago, just didn’t think you'd let me."  
"Tell me what you have planned first, then we can decide what to do."

Tony looked searchingly into Nick's eyes until he seemed to find whatever he was looking for then nodded. They spent the next few hours going over his plans in great detail, Tony showing them everything he had on each member of the Council and how he planned to use it. Jarvis interrupted them about half an hour after they had started, reminding them they all had to eat, so they decamped to the kitchen where Steve cooked pasta for them. Tony had finished his eighth coffee and was headed to the machine to get another when Steve put a gentle hand on his wrist to stop him.

"Do you think maybe you could have something other than coffee? Just for a change?"  
"Why would I want to do that? I like coffee."  
"Yeah, we know, but you practically main line the stuff and it really can't be good for you. What about tea?"  
"Don’t like it, want coffee."

Steve grinned at him and sent a quick glance at Nick. Tony really was adorable when he pouted like that.

"Yeah, I know. How much do you normally sleep?"  
"If you're gonna start nagging you can go now! I have enough trouble with Nanny JARVIS! Dummy's always shoving smoothies in my face and the less said about Pepper when she's around the better!"  
"Have you considered they were the three people on this Earth that cared for you the most? Maybe, if all three of them are trying to tell you the same thing, you should maybe listen? A human body needs fuel, and the arc isn't it."  
"I've managed this long, I can take care of my self!"  
"I know, you've proven that time and again, against all odds. But 'I' would like the privilege of doing it for you. And, if you eat and sleep right, you'll have more energy for other things."

The last was said with a tinge of a blush across his cheeks that left no doubt what he was referring to. Tony couldn’t help grinning.

"Are you even real? This right now, is this even real? Because you are just too good to be true!"  
"Trust me Tony, he's real! And history tells us the 40's were a quiet, demure decade! Can't help thinking I'd of liked it."  
"The dames were demure with the guys, the other guys not so much, especially with no dames or officers near by, behind the lines. Every body needs a release, and a reason to fight. Ours was better than most but the guys worked hard and played harder."  
"Talking of 'hard', can we go back to bed now? Please?"

Steve didn’t blush that time, he smirked and looked to Nick to check they were done for the time being then grabbed Tony's hand, dragging him straight back to the bed.

************************* 

Steve woke as soon as Tony moved, he had lived behind enemy lines for too long to sleep through movement around him let alone under him. He stayed still and waited while Tony disentangled his self from them, knowing Nick would be awake as well, thinking he was probably going to the bathroom. When he headed for the main door instead Steve paused for a moment, indecision holding him back. Not so Nick.

"What's up Kit?"  
"Shit!"

It was whispered, almost inaudible, but Steve had perfect, almost inhuman, hearing.

"Go back to sleep, didn’t mean to wake you."

It was said only slightly louder. Nick chuckled.

"That much was obvious. If you want some space just tell us, don’t try to sneak out on two soldiers, it's never gonna work."  
"Just going to the workshop, I've gotta do something!"  
"We're not trying to stop you Tony, just don’t hide from us. Do you want me to make you breakfast later?"

As Steve spoke Tony sagged out of his defensive stance and sighed.

"I don’t know, if you want I suppose."  
"Thank you. Just call if you want anything, even if it's just company, either or both of us would like to come down with you, if you wouldn’t mind too much, it'd be nice to see you in your natural environment."

Tony huffed in amusement but nodded, then turned and left the room. Steve looked over at Nick who had sighed and closed his eyes again, then shrugged to his self. The bed was getting cold between them and he much preferred the warmth of a solid body next to him, so he scooted over in the bed and wrapped his self around Nick. Nick chuckled.

"You're a heat magnet!"  
"You spend 70 years in the ice and see how you like being cold."  
"Huh. You know, I never did ask, and I really should have, I know how shit the psych's are, you heard Hill and I, how much were you aware through those 70 years?"  
"Too much."

Steve's voice was dark and as chilling as said ice. Nick knew when to push and now was not the time. Instead he ran his hand up and down Steve's back for a moment before reaching down as far as he could and cupping his ass. Steve chuckled darkly.

"Distracting me?"  
"Yeah, also awake with an arm full of hot Super Soldier, what do you expect?"

Steve chuckled again, a lighter sound, and rubbed his already hardening cock against Nicks thigh, running his hand up his chest to brush a nipple, getting a lovely groan. Steve smiled and brushed the nipple again, just a little rougher and loved the sound he got for his trouble. It wasn’t long before they were entwined on the bed, fully exploring each others bodies, looking for and noting all the spots that got the best reactions. Nick, it turned out, thoroughly enjoyed almost everything a little rough, especially his nipples. Steve loved the rough tingle/scrape of Nick's beard over his skin, just everywhere, but especially on his inner thighs and neck. They both loved marking and being marked by the other, especially Nick, though he knew they wouldn’t last long on Steve, he figured he would just compensate with Tony, poor guy was gonna be covered between the two of them. Nick eventually rolled them over until he was on top and settled between his thighs, thrusting hard against Steve's dripping cock. They were both groaning almost continually, both being vocal lovers, though nothing like Tony's unreserved levels, and it didn’t take long before they were both cumming over their stomachs. They lay still entwined for a few minutes, basking in the afterglow and coming down from the high before Nick got up to the bathroom and came back with a cloth, cleaning Steve up before seeing to his self. They curled back up, Steve half covering Nick, and went back to sleep without another word.

Steve woke up again just after dawn and sighed, just once he would like his body to let him sleep in! Nick chuckled, his chest rumbling with it as he woke and heard the sigh.

"Would be nice to get a lay-in, wouldn’t it? I can't do it either, body wakes me with the sun."  
"Yeah, would be nice. Suppose I should get breakfast on as we're up though, Tony should eat."  
"Yeah, that's gonna be a long slog, getting him to eat and sleep at something approaching human norms. I don’t know how his body keeps going, I really don’t. it should be physically impossible to run on so little food and sleep, but he's done it for most of his life from what I can tell."  
"Doesn’t mean I can't try and change it at least a little."  
"No, as long as you don’t expect more than he can give. Especially right now, I doubt he could eat a full adult portion three times a day if he tried. His body isn't used to it, probably wont be able to cope with it for quite a while, you'll have to build up to it slowly. Before we got here, he'd had three smoothies in 72 hours, we gave him soup and pasta yesterday, don’t be surprised if he can't eat much breakfast."  
"I spent most of the first 20 years of my life ill, frail or on the verge of death, I know, believe me."  
"It's easy to forget, you don’t look like you've seen a day sick in your life, don’t act like it either."  
"Can't live in the past, and I know all about that too."

Nick chuckled at that.

"Right, let's go get our boy some food then."  
"Easy to forget I'm only 23 too."  
"Huh, yeah. So how come Tony acts like the kid here?"  
"It's part of his charm."

Nick couldn’t help laughing at that, still chuckling with Steve as they dressed and went to make breakfast. Steve ended up making bacon, sausage and tiny pancakes so Tony could easily pick it all up and eat it one handed, figuring he would be more likely to eat it, and put plenty on a plate for him so he could snack later if he didn’t eat it all straight away. They decided to take their own food and invade Tony's workroom, soon joining him there. When Steve knocked on the door they watched Tony startle and turn to face them with a glare. The door opened and they bought the plates in, smiling. 

"Hey, hungry?"  
"Humph."  
"Yeah, ok. I'll just leave it here for you, can we stay and eat please?"

Tony looked at him quizzically for a while as if trying to figure out who he was and why he was here, before eventually his face cleared and a bright smile crossed his face.

"Hey! You made me food! Thanks!"

Then he turned back to what he had been doing and completely ignored them. Nick had read Natasha's full report on Tony and wasn’t at all surprised, Steve on the other hand had never come across this kind of behaviour. He looked between Tony and Nick in wide eyed shock.

"What?"  
"Breath Steve, it's just the way he is. His mind is still stuck on whatever he's doing, I'm surprised he even acknowledged you to be honest. You should read Widow's file, it may not be completely right but it's enlightening."  
"So this is normal for him? That's gonna take some getting used to."  
"Yup, I figure he'll be worth it though."

Steve grinned, watching Tony work with his glowing holograms, twisting and throwing them around as he spoke to JARVIS or muttered to his self, his mouth never stopping.

"Yeah, I figure he will be."

Perfectus.


End file.
